"Deep ocean bacteria discovered to play large role in carbon capture: Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria contribute to the capture of carbon dioxide in deep, unlit ocean waters."

Susie Goodell

Mr. Ippolito

AP Biology

11/29/17

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. "Deep ocean bacteria discovered to play large role in carbon capture: Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria contribute to the capture of carbon dioxide in deep, unlit ocean waters." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 November 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171127124706.htm>.

Current Event 9

For this current event, I read the article “Deep Ocean Bacteria Discovered to Play Large Role in Carbon Capture: Nitrite-oxidizing Bacteria Contribute to the Capture of Carbon Dioxide in Deep, Unlit Ocean Waters” from Science Daily. This article discussed the identification of some of the most important microorganisms in the dark ocean. The “dark ocean”, which is the area of the oceans at 200 meters deep and below, comprises 90% of the ocean, but little information is known about the region. Scientists were unsure about how the microscopic life in the area is involved in the transformation of carbon dioxide to cell material, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. However, scientists from the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences used modern tools to analyze genomes in seawater samples from the mesopelagic zone, the area of the dark ocean from 200 to 1000 feet below the surface. They successfully identified some of the major contributors to this process: nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. Scientists had assumed that bacteria played a role in the processes, but this new research shows that the organisms have a much larger role than previously believed. Although they only account for less than five percent of the microbial cells in the dark ocean, the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria are much larger than the other cells and play the dominant role in the process of carbon capture. Deriving their energy from the oxidation of nitrogen compounds, these bacteria capture more than 1.1 gigatons of carbon dioxide in the region every year. In order to discover this information about the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, the scientists had to create new tools. ‘"Before genomics techniques, the dark ocean was a black box, because microorganisms from this environment refuse to grow in research laboratories,’ said Ramunas Stepanauskas, a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory and director of the Single Cell Genomics Center. ‘Now, using contemporary tools that were developed by our group, we can open this black box and understand who is living there, what they are doing, and how they are doing it."’ The new technology and techniques that were created allowed scientists study the bacteria in more detail than ever before. After analyzing nearly 3,500 genomes of bacteria, scientists began to research the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, due to its metabolic pathways. Eventually, conclusive evidence proved that these bacteria do, in fact, play an extremely large role in carbon capture.  

The identification of the bacteria in the dark ocean provides scientists with more information about the dark oceans. This can help scientists form more accurate theories about life in the region as well as make new discoveries that shed light on the area. Gerhard Herndl, a professor at the University of Vienna, said, ‘"These results shed new light on the link between nitrogen and carbon cycles in the ocean's interior. We experimentally demonstrated the major role of nitrite oxidizers in capturing carbon dioxide in the dark ocean and illuminated a group of microbes which has not yet received adequate attention for their impact in the oceanic carbon cycle.’" Identifying the bacteria also shows the importance of technological innovations, as without modern technology, the scientists would not have been able to identify the microorganisms and study their behavior.

This article was extremely well-written and had a good structure. The author used language that was easy to understand and explained the concepts well. The article included quotes from distinguished scientists that proved the author’s statements and provided more information about the process. Although, the author did not provide many details about the theories that scientists had before concerning the microorganisms in the dark ocean. Readers could also benefit from an explanation as to how the lab group developed all of the necessary technology for the research. However, overall, the author wrote a well-informed, organized, informative piece on an interesting topic.